Eco-Friendly Light Being Tested for Squid Fishing

An energy-efficient light for squid fishing boats was developed and is being tested by Nippon Data Service Co., a Japanese consulting company for the construction industry, and other parties, it was announced in April 2007. Optical fibers are being used as one component in the light.

In conventional lighting, metal halide lamps are used to attract phototactic fish such as the sagittated calamari, but this approach is often criticized for the large amount of CO2 emissions from power generators needed for the lamps, as well as the adverse impacts on migratory birds due to light pollution. A slump in fish prices caused by higher imports of fisheries products and skyrocketing fuel prices have motivated the industry to seek energy-efficient fishing lights.

Nippon Data Service has been developing the new fishing light that uses optical fiber, as well as new lamps developed by Toto Kiki Limited. The new lamps range from 60 to 100 watts, last longer and consume less electricity than conventional ones. The use of optical fibers enables the user to adjust the coverage of illumination and results in a unit that is compact, lightweight and waterproof.

The new product consumes only one-hundredth the amount of crude oil compared to conventional fishing lights, boosting profits for squid fishermen and reducing CO2 emissions, and installation costs are reduced by about 40 percent. Placed nearer to the sea surface, the new lights can illuminate the water more efficiently, whereas about 80 percent of light from conventional lights is wasted above the water. The new products thus also reduce adverse impacts on the human bodies, including the impacts of ultraviolet radiation.



Posted: 2007/09/12 02:51:24 PM
Japanese version